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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. present — there
  7. clip — to cut
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. present — the time now
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ball — a great time
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. clip — a video
  15. date — the fruit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fine — high quality
  21. present — a gift
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com